Machine for renewing cartridges



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W. D. FRASER MACHINE FOR RENEWING CARTRIDGES Filed Feb. 4, 1918 3Sheets-Shieet 1 Eind@ w mw E.' E Ksza'ffss.

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Nov. 20 1923.

W. D. FRASER MACHINE FOR RENEWING CARTRIDGES Fiied Feb. 4. 1918 3Sheets-Sheet 2 l W17 FEA SEH Gummug se` ermeumrion a EXPLosn/E ora/niesiumf...-.c.-

Patented Nov. 20, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MACHINE FOR RENEWING CARTRIDGES.

Application led February 4, 1918. Serial No. 215,256.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. FRASER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in a Machine for RenewingCartridges, of which the follow ing is a specification.

This invention pertains to a machine for renewing used rie cartridges,and my general object is to provide a simple and effective device whichwill enable anyone to resize a used cartridge shell and de-cap it andthen re-Primeand reload .1tf. 1 use511.* 1L1in1V My first object is toprovide means capable of reducing an expanded shell to its originaldiameter so that it may be introduced as freely into the breech of a gunas in the first instance. My second object is to furnish means to de-capor remove the dead primer in the old cartridge during the re-sizingoperation on the shell. My third object is to supply means for pressingnew caps or primers into the re-sized shells. My fourth object is toconstruct the machine so that the loading of the shells with powder maybe accurately and quickly accomplished, and fifth object is to equip themachine with means to press the bullets tightly into the filled andprimed shell.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevationof the machine on line 1-1, Fig. 3, looking to the right. Fig. 2 is aplain elevation of the complete machine with the turret in the front andotherwise from the same point of viewNv as Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is anelevation of the machine at right angles to Fig. 2, and sectionedthrough the turret and portions thereof having to do with removal of thecap or primer` from the empty shell. Fig. 4 is a plan view partly insection on a line corresponding substantially to line 1 -4, Fig. 3. Fig.5 is an elevation of a portion of the body of the machine and a sectionof the turret showing the operation of inserting a bullet in anotherwise renewed shell.

In detail, the invention consists of a tubular body or standard 2 havinga suitable base andV means supported thereon to do all the work. Thesemeans comprise a rackbar or shaft 3 of the plunger type slidably mountedin the said standard and engaged by a pinion 4 located in a side recessat aboutthe middle of the standard lengthwise and controlled by a leveror levers 6 on the stem 5 of said pinion. This arrangement is one meansof applying power, but I do not wish to limit myself thereto.

The said shaft or plunger 3 is slidable up and down within limits andhas a somewhat refined adjustment or stop in its descent for reasonspresently to be seen and which involve a screw 7 set into the upper endof the said plunger and a pair of nuts 8 engaging Vsaid screw andVbearing nupon the top of the standard 2, thus enabling the operator tovary and fix the descent of the plunger to any predetermined distance asthe operating means may require and which involve the compression orcontraction of the empty and more or less expanded shell preparatory tofurther operations; the removal of the dead cap or primer from theshell, and the insertion of a new primer before the shell is refilledwith powder. Therefore, the standard 2 is provided lengthwise with slots9, 10 and 11, the two slots 10 and 11 being one above the other, and theslot 9 being in the upper portion of the standard in a plane a rightangles to the slots l0 and 11, see Fig. 2. The standard is also providedwith a projection 13 in line with and between the slots 10 and 11 inwhich a die d is supported. Studs or arms 14 and 15 respectively, areset into plunger 3 and project through slots 10 and 11 and theirfunction is to force an empty shell S intov and out of die d. The saiddie is fixed at its lower end within a collar 16 which is seated withina recess in the projection 13 having a central opening at its bottom,and collar 16 is locked in place by a set screw 19. The die is a tubularmember shaped internally according to the shape and size of the shellthat is used for the time being, whether it be of a Springfield rifle oranother make or kind or a different kind of arms, and therefore isinterchangeable and corresponds substantially to the length of the shellso that when the shell is forced into the same from above by theflat-sided arm 14 and the said arm reaches tlseminef the top of the dieat the end of its stroke the shell will also be pressed inward to itslimit. The downward movement of said arm is fixed by the nuts 8 at thetop of plunger 3 engaging the top of the standard, and both ends of thedie (l are open to entrance from above and below.

The previously used shells being more or less expanded as a. result offiring it follows that they must be compressed or contracted to theiroriginal size before they can be introduced into the breech of a gun asfreely as in the first instance and so used again. Therefore, the firststep in the present operation is to re-size the empty shell, and the died and the arm 14 serve this purpose, under force applied through plunger3 and pinion 4 or their equivalent. Different dies may be employedaccording to the size and shape of the shells and the tapered shells areintroduced with their taper downward.

The next step in the operation is to remove the dead cap or primer fromthe shell while the shell is held tightly within the die, and this isaccomplished by means ef arm 15 and a vertical rod or stem 18 affixed insaid arm and which has a shouldered and reduced upper extremity nadapted to enter a small hole in the head of the shell beneath theprimer c therein and in so doing to forcibly eject the primer asillustrated in Fig. 3. As this occurs the shoulder at the base of thereduced extremity n will engage the inner bottom of the shell and liftand release the shell from the die, also as appears in Fig. 3. In thislatter operation the thrust of shaft 3 is reversed through pinion 4, theparts raised to the limits of slots 10 and 11, and the loose shellremoved by hand.

The empty and de-capped shell is now ready for repriming or capping andfilling with powder, and priming precedes filling as a precautionagainst possible Vpremature explosion. r1`his introduces other elementshaving a co-acting relation with and dependent upon the operation ofplunger shaft 3 and the pinion 4. Thus, a turret 20 is rotatably mountedon a stud shaft 26 fixed upon a lateral projection 21 near the bottom ofthe standard 2, and a spring pressed detent 23 socketed within the upperface of projection 21 is adapted to enter the cavities i 24 in one sideof the turret to limit the rota- 24. Each pocket is of a depthcorresponding to the length of the shell, plus a reduced extension toreceive the elongated bullet 40, and a plate or disk 27 on one side ofthe body of the turret 27 has perforations 28 in two circlescorresponding to the shell pockets 25 and adapted to come centrally overthe same. The plate or disk 27 is secured upon a bearing sleeve 29engaged over the central shaft- 26 which is fixed in projection 21 andupon which the turret rotates, and said sleeve is secured by a ring nut30 on the opposite side of the turret.

The primer c corresponds substantially to the diameter of theperforations 28 in disk 27 and also to the cavities in the heads of theshells, and hence, assuming that a live primer is placed over or withina perforation 28, a suitable plunger will be sufficient to force it intothe cavity coinciding in position thereto in the shell. Two thrustplungers 33 are provided for this purpose, which are set into arotatable head 34 on a short horizontal shaft 35 fixed in the rack baror shaft 3 through slot 9 in the standard 2. Head 34 is preferablyspring pressed on one side and slldably mounted on said shaft to affordquick .locking andunlocking Yof theY head so that it may be rotated andits position reversed relatively to the turret, a. pin 36 in the shaftbeing adapted to engage either of the radial slots 37 in the headaccording to which position it occupies. To explain further, two sets ofplungers are mounted radially opposite on head 34, andV either set ofplungers may be positioned so as to work simultaneously with theresizing of the shell in the die d first above described. Thus, theplungers 33 may be set to press the primers into the shell heads, orlthe other set of plungers 42 on the head may be placed to press and fixthe bullets 40 in the open reduced ends of the shell. But before thebullets and shells are assembled the powder is introduced into theshell. To this end the turret is inverted on shaft 26 after primingoperations are finished and the open end of the shell is thereb exposedto receive the powder and bullet. nverting the turret also places theplate 27 below to serve as a support for the shells when the bullet isdriven into the opposite end.

A material benefit and advantage comes to the marksman in'refilling theshells himself because it enables him to choose the quality or kind ofpower he. wants and to measure the charges with thel most exact nicetyand uniformity so that all the shells are charged exactly alike in theseparticulars. Then when the shells are filled, the final step is toinsert the balls or bullets 4G therein. The extension of the pockets inthe turret beyond the shell ends enables the bullets to be seatedquickly in alignment with the shells and in position for forcedentryinto the shells. The force required is imparted by the plungers 42fixed in head 34:, and these plungers have cavities in their ends toreceive the pointed or rounded ends of the bullets and to center oralign the bullets relatively to the shell. The bullet is vpressed homeby a down stroke of head 34'and the. reciprocable shaft 3 ashereinbefore described, and the parts may beset and arranged to enter abullet simultaneously with the driving of the shells into the dies toreshape the same.

The disk 27 on the turret has a slot 41 extending radially thereofacross bot-h circles of pockets 25 for the shells, and the shells areplaced in the turret andremoved through this slot. A spring pressed bolt45 in the turret body also projects through said slot and serves to lockthe disk against independent rotation after the shells have beenintroduced through said slot successively. Locking of the plate locksthe shells in place within the vturret and none can drop out uponinverting the turret. Unlocking of the plate and rotation thereof mustoccur to remove the shells. However, the plate may be made as a separatedetach- Yable plate and locked in place in any suitable way.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for renewing used cartridges, comprising a reciprocatingdevice having a primer pressing plunger and a bullet pressing plunger,in combination with means for supporting a shell in reverselyrelatedpositions opposite said plungers.

2. A machine for renewing used cartridges, comprising an invertibleholder for shells, and a reversible head having separate primer andbullet pressing members movably related to said holder opposite theshells therein.

3. A machine for renewing used cartridges, comprising a rotatable shellholder, in combination with a receprocable device having a set ofpresser members rotatably mounted opposite the shell in said holder.

4. A machine for renewing used cartridges, comprising a turret having arotatable plate detachably connected therewit-h for confining the shellstherein and adapted to be rotated independently of-said turret, saidplate having guide openings to-introduce riming caps to said shells. i

5. n a machine for renewing cartridges, a die for reshaping cartridgeshells, a hollow upright standard having a slot and a side projection inline with said slot in which' said die is removably supported, and areciprocating plunger in said standard having an arm operating in saidslot adapted to bear on the end of a. cartridge and force it into thedie.

G. In a machine for renewing cartridges, a tubular standard having a diesupporting projection at its outside and slots lengthwise above andbelow said projection, in combination with a reciprocable plunger insaid standard and arms thereon extending through said slots, a shellre-shaping die in said projection in line with said arms and means tolimit the downward thrust of said plunger, the upper of said arms beingadapted to force a shell into the die, and means on the lower arm toeject the shell.

T. In a machine for renewing cartridges, a tubular standard having alateral projection and a turret mounted thereon having a series ofpockets shaped to receive decapped cartridge shells, means to check saidturret step-by-step in rotation, and means to force primers into thesaid cartridges comprising centering means for the caps and a plunger toforce the caps into the shells.

S. In a machine for renewing cartridges, a rotatable turret having aseries of vertically disposed pockets extending through the same andshaped to receive cartridge shells and a plate over one side of saidturret having perforations coincident with said pockets and of a size toinsert priming caps therein said plate being aiiixed in rotatableconnection with said turret.

9. In a machine for renewing cartridges, a standard and a reciprocableplunger in said standard, a turret rotatably mounted on one side of saidstandard and having a series of pockets adapted to receive cartridgeshells, means locked to said turret and adapted to carry therewith andcenter live primers over said pockets and a thrust device supported onsaid plunger and adapted to force the primers downward through saidcentering means.

l0. In a machine for renewing cartridges, an invertible turret havingconcentric circles of separate pockets adapted to receive cartridgeshells, a separate plate aiiixed to one side of said turrent andinvertible therewith to support said shells in the pockets, and means toforce bullets into a plural number of the shells simultaneously.

ll. In a machine for renewing cartridges, an invertible turret havingpockets for cartridge shells reduced in diameter at' one end havinggreater length than .theshells and correspondingly formed, and means toforce bullets into the shellswin said pockets comprising a reciprocableplunger, a rotatable head supported on said plunger radially above saidturret and a thrust memher on said head having a cavity in its endadapted to engage over the point of the bullet and to force the bulletinto the shell.

l2. A machine for renewing cartridges, having an invertible rotatableturret provided with a series of pockets open on both sides thereof andshaped to the contour of a cartridge shell, in combination with a x livepriming caps within certain of said shells simultaneously with Vthecontraction 10 of other of said shells.

Signed at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, this29th day of January, 1918.

VILLIAM D. FRASER.

